Chapter 23
CHAPTER 23
T he wind whipped around the boat as August rode in silence with his team and the fucking dumb sonofabitch who’d done nothing but poison Gigi’s life.
August pressed his closed fists to his thighs. His hands itched to rearrange Todd’s face, but roughing him up right now wouldn’t do anyone any good. He needed Todd coherent so the prick could help find Gigi. As soon as they reached Anacortes, they’d call Alvarez.
Glancing at Toth’s puckered brow and Rami’s barely masked fury, August knew his friends weren’t just pissed about Gigi but worried about Taschen. But he didn’t have the capacity to think beyond Gigi right now. Not yet. He couldn’t do a damn thing but focus all his attention on getting her back.
Gigi’s laugh rang inside his head. He heard her sweet voice and felt the warmth and steadiness of her arms. He craved her like a suffocating man craved air.
But more than that, he craved justice. He’d end the motherfuckers who’d gotten their hands on her. And if they were hurting her now... August’s brain flickered.
He couldn’t go there. Couldn’t handle the thought of her being scared. Surely Alvarez wasn’t stupid. If he knew they’d gone to the Radcliffes, he’d know August could end their operation by reporting the senator and his charitable foundation. He had to keep his head in the game and remind himself that Alvarez cared about only two things: money and revenge. If August played his cards right, he’d have Alvarez right where he wanted him.
The boat bounced over the surf, making August lift his head. Anacortes came into view. A few minutes later they were on the dock.
Todd muttered something to Rami, who then shoved Todd out of the boat. He stumbled onto the wooden planks and nearly fell in the water.
“Look, you’d have done the same thing in my position,” Todd wailed. “I had no choice but to hide.”
August stepped into Todd’s space, making the coward back up until his heels teetered on the edge of the dock. “You fucking ran because you’re pathetic. Instead of taking responsibility for what you did, you made the cartel go after Gigi.” He jabbed his finger into Todd’s chest. If he hadn’t needed the asshole right now, he’d have put his fingers through his eye sockets.
“I—”
“You nearly got her killed,” August spat. Before he got even angrier, August backed up. “Get him to the fucking car. I’m calling Alvarez.” Rami and Ghost each took one of Todd’s arms and followed Toth toward the SUV.
August pulled up the phone number Toth had given him earlier, the one that Dana had tracked down, and called it, bringing the device to his ear. The line rang three times. August’s chest tightened. What if they’d already killed her? What if they’d gotten their pound of flesh and—
“Hola?” Relief flooded through August.
“Alvarez?”
“Who’s asking?” the man said, quickly switching to English.
“August. You have someone I want and I have someone you want.”
A beat passed. August’s breath stilled in his lungs. “Is that so?” Alvarez dragged out the question. “You must be referring to Georgia.”
August’s blood pumped wildly. Fury coursed through his veins at the sound of Gigi’s name on the sick bastard’s tongue. It took two breaths before his voice was strong enough to speak. “And I have Todd.”
Alvarez inhaled quickly in what sounded like surprise. Interesting . “I suspect you want to trade.”
“That’s right. Where is she? I’ll come to you now. I’ll give you Todd.” He couldn’t have hidden his eagerness if he’d tried. There was no battening down the urgency to get to Gigi, to shield her from whatever the sonofabitch had in mind for her.
More importantly, to erase her fear. To let her know that he was there. That he hadn’t given up. That he’d protect her for as long as he lived.
“And if I say no?”
August’s mouth popped open. Grit filled his mouth. He swallowed but the texture didn’t change. “Then you’ll have a war on your hands.”
Jesus. Probably not the best answer. He’d just laid down his hand—admitted how far he’d go to get back what was his. Now the enemy knew August’s biggest weakness. Knew he’d give anything, kill anyone to bring Gigi home.
Alvarez laughed. The rich, thick chuckle made pinpricks of rage erupt beneath August’s skin.
“You think you can beat me in a war?”
“I think you don’t want to find out.”
Seconds went by. He was about to lose Alvarez. Every bone in August’s body screamed at him to do something, to stop the man’s interest from slipping. “I know about your involvement with the Radcliffes. Actually, I just left their place on San Juan Island.”
Alvarez sputtered. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re laundering money through their charitable foundation. You gave them eighty-five million dollars. I’ve got all the evidence, and I’ll leak it to the FBI if I don’t have Gigi back in two hours.”
There. He’d just dropped every fucking card he had. If Alvarez didn’t bite, they really would have a war at their doorstep.
Each second moved like a bowling ball through wet cement. August’s pulse pounded against his temples, his blood pressure in the danger zone.
“Why should I believe you?”
“Because I know you were tipped off about Gigi. You found out where we were keeping her, and when you learned I was leaving, you sent people in.”
“So?”
Bastard didn’t even bother denying it. “So you should ask yourself how I found Todd. Or better yet, pay a visit to Roy Radcliffe and ask him.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Impatience fanned the man’s words.
“Roy was hiding Todd from you this whole time.”
Alvarez clicked his tongue. “You must think I’m stupid to believe that.”
“You know as well as I do Todd was laundering for both you and Radcliffe. If you killed Todd, then Roy would be without a launderer. Sure worked in his favor to have Todd right under his roof.”
“You’re lying.”
“If you pay Roy a visit, or hell, make a video-call to him, you’ll see his face is swollen. I punched him.”
Alvarez’s breath huffed like an angry bull’s. “I want that motherfucker Todd,” he spat. “That piece of shit stole millions from me.”
August sent his gaze toward the car. Rami was guiding Todd inside. Pacing in a small circle, August weighed his words. Alvarez was caught in the middle. He might not want to give up Gigi, but he wanted Todd more. And Radcliffe’s dishonesty was a cherry on top of the shit sundae.
“Tell me where Gigi is and we’ll trade.” Urgency pushed the words from his mouth.
Silence.
“Alvarez?”
“I’ll be in touch.”
Click
August let out a hiss of rage. Goddammit!
He couldn’t wait until he’d heard from Alvarez to do something. For all August knew they’d already killed Gigi. The thought made sweat form between his shoulder blades. No, he couldn’t believe that. God wasn’t so cruel as to bring Gigi into his life only to have her murdered. He wouldn’t accept the possibility as a reality.
Fuck Todd and Fuck Alvarez. He’d find Gigi himself.
***
Standing in the gross bedroom, Gigi turned in a circle, her wrists still melded together. Above the mattress was a window about four feet from the floor. Cardboard covered the glass and duct tape secured the perimeter. She inched onto the bed. Her feet sank into the stained material, and she toppled on the loose springs. Without her hands for balance, she almost fell on her face on the disgusting surface.
Eww.
She’d rather throw out her back than pick up whatever diseases infested the mattress. After toddling to the window, she leaned her abdomen against the wall so she wouldn’t fall then edged herself toward the side of the window, where there was a small gap between the cardboard and the sill.
Without the use of her fingers, she couldn’t peel back the cardboard. Although Bandana Guy hadn’t tied her wrists tight, she didn’t want to attempt an escape until she had a good chance of success.
The last thing she needed was for one of the men to see she’d gotten out of her bindings again. They’d probably wrap her in chains and she’d never escape. Crouching low, she got her eyes as close as she could to the small gap. The room overlooked the backyard, and from what she could tell, the window was a slider with no screen.
Backing away, she hobbled over the uneven surface. With each step she took, the wretched stench of urine wafted upwards. She gagged. But then she reminded herself that there were worse things than disgusting mattresses—like dying. She had to focus on getting out of here.
A dresser was pushed up against the wall next to the door. If she could slide it in front of the door without the guys hearing her, she might be able to rip off the cardboard and jump out the window.
The walls were thin enough that she could hear the men speaking, in Spanish, in the living room and kitchen areas. Without some kind of background noise, they’d hear her moving furniture around. She could only hope that they’d leave.
Frustration burrowed inside her. She was stuck. If she made her escape prematurely and got caught, she’d not only face Alec’s wrath but might piss off Bandana Guy, too. Then she’d have no ally—if she could even call him that.
The dog barked and Gigi’s hope floundered. Slowly, she sank to the floor and her eyes welled with tears. Even if she was lucky enough to get out without the men spotting her, there was the dog, Micha, to contend with. Surely she’d bark at any strange noises or at someone lurking in the backyard.
She inhaled a shuddering breath. There was another option. She could try to buy or befriend Bandana Guy. Which was probably a longer shot than trying to escape with bound hands.
Footsteps pounded down the hall. Gigi plastered her back against the wall. The acidic taste of fear filled her mouth. She glanced around the messy room in search of a weapon, but there wasn’t a damn thing she could do with her hands behind her back. The door banged open and Alec strode in.
A roll of duct tape hung in his hand. He swept his gaze around the room and his eyes narrowed. “Why isn’t she tied up, Marko?” he demanded. The fact that he was speaking English told her he wanted her to hear and understand him.
To make her more afraid?
Marko, Bandana Guy, stormed in behind his friend and motioned for her to turn around. She did, offering the view of her hands, then returned to her position against the wall.
Alec grunted and walked farther into the room, stopping inches from her feet. He dropped to kneel in front of her and ripped off a strip of duct tape.
Shit. If he wanted to see her hands again, from this close he’d surely notice she wasn’t properly bound. His light-brown eyes studied her face. She lifted her chin an inch despite wanting to shrivel up beneath his scrutiny. Men like Alec liked the smell of fear.
His gaze dipped to her breasts then moved its way down her legs and slowly back up. His eyes connected with hers again, and he slipped his tongue over his bottom lip. Lust sparked in his eyes.
A shudder touched the base of her spine. She pressed her shoulder blades hard against the wall, praying the drywall would swallow her up. It didn’t.
“You comin’ or what?” Marko asked.
Alec broke eye contact and glanced behind him. “She’s pretty. It’s too bad what Alvarez wants to do to her.”
Bile singed the lining of Gigi’s stomach. Her pulse quickened and her lungs squeezed. She glanced at Marko, looking for some sign of reassurance, but his features turned stoney. He balled his fists at his sides. “Let’s go already.”
Alec snickered and leaned forward, pressing the sticky strip to her lips. The rank smell of cigarette smoke that permeated his fingers mixed with the stringent scent of alcohol on his breath. “Alvarez wants your tongue first. To send to your lover. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get to use it before it’s gone.”
Gigi’s stomach dropped low in her abdomen and icy cold horror spiraled around her heart. She fought the suffocating fear that threatened to steal her consciousness.
Alec patted the tape over her lips and stood. He grinned, winking at her, then sailed past his friend and went into the hallway. Gigi’s gaze bounced to Marko. His expression softened with pity and his hands jostled awkwardly at his sides.
She met his gaze and shook her head. Call it disbelief, call it desperation, but she needed even a little bit of hope.
The pit bull padded into the room with a bone, climbed on the bed, and went to town as if Gigi’s life weren’t in the balance.
No, not even her life. They hadn’t mentioned killing her. Instead, they wanted to torture her in the most grotesque way. Tears sprang from her eyelids. Marko turned to the door then glanced over his shoulder. “Stay quiet and you might buy yourself some time.” He looked at the dog. “Micha can stay here. She hates Alec.” The last statement was whispered.
The door shut.
Then the lock on it clicked, the sound like a bullet to her chest.